1 Peter 1:16-25 KJV
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Solomon in I Chronicles 29 is said by his father King David to have a pure heart. Opinion of man has little to do with the reality of the individual heart. Solomon in his early days seemed to have a heart for God, even to the point he heed his Father instruction even down to building the temple as instructed by his father and God. Where then did Solomon go wrong, it would be with his many foreign wives, because he even dabbled into Idolatry. Did Solomon heart change. He still had faith in God. In other words he knew God was real, yet the reality did not put a fear in Solomon to obey the wisdom God granted him, or his father instructions. Did Solomon change, many scholars believe he did.

Our purity of heart is more then faith. It is the willingness to obey God. The willingness to obey him even when our desires say something else. Solomon struggled with his own desires, after all he was king, he could do what he wanted. However is that what God says when it comes to faith, when it comes to belief? When it comes to one time salvation? Only salvation through Christ Jesus. Some point we must learn to turn and follow in Christ footsteps in our life, even in our life style.

The struggle of faith, what does it mean. It means we wrestle with our own selfish desires verses the will of God. God gives us plenty of freedom to choose likes and dislikes in life. He gives us many choices within our own ability to go after things in our world, yet he also draws a line and says not over this one, the one that takes you far from my word, and the path of my commandments.

Yep the goals of faith verse the goals of the world are often different. No doubt Solomon wives influenced many of his ungodly decisions, just like his father's instructions had influenced many of his godly ones. David was said to have a true heart for God and even obeyed him, but because of wars, he would not be allowed to build the temple. If God had chosen another king to build the temple instead of Solomon would he been one that did not dabble later in life in idolatry? The fact his Solomon built more then one temple, he gave many gods' houses in Israel. However it keep idolatry outside the Temple the Holy House of God. For God was Holy. Purity of heart key to the temple, that why Solomon did not do any of the actual work perhaps. Solomon would be cleansed by the sacrifice of a lamb anytime he needed it. Yet Christ was only sacrifice needed to cleanse us from sin, his blood shed for yours and my sins, his body/bread broken and hung on a tree for you and me. Interest note on the blood and bread often in depiction of Christ. The bread and blood sacrifice in Old Testament was to be separate. In the beating of Christ we see the blood poured out and on the cross the water being poured out. Just interesting note, maybe more to me then you, but you Bible Scholars out there that read scripture may or may not of realized it. The blood of Christ cleanses us, His body sacrificed on the cross and is buried with our sin, and he rises to victory over sin and death, because of who he is and not for who we are, but because of his love for us, because he created us and desires to win us back with his love. We in turn give our life back to God and not only have relationship with God for even the devil talks to God, but we make a commitment to God to follow him and obey him. It does not mean we do not fail, it means our heart is pure, our desire changed to focus on the ways of God. Those that commit their ways by faith believing in Jesus, will see God one day on his throne and that is the promise to the purity of heart.

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to have a pure heart of faith, one that strive and commitment is to obeying your and not just believing in you as the devil even does. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Matthew 5:8 KJV
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.